The GAA twilight zone when yellow cards and fractious incidents go stride for stride with scores. The weather was classically club final yesterday in Killarney. Slate grey skies, sheet-rods of rain, but the players and mentors of Dr Crokes and UCC went about their business without meanness or treachery. Hence the hurling scoreline, a festival of scores.

Naïve? Hmm. That was College’s first defeat in 17 Sigerson and Championship matches this season. And Dr Crokes might have created some kind of GAA asterisk for themselves by starting and finishing the same calendar year in two different Munster Club finals. Their 2011 isn’t done yet. In two weeks they’ll steel themselves for an East Kerry (O’Donoghue Cup) Championship semi-final against Glenflesk before coach Harry O’Neill can start thinking of the new year and the All-Ireland semi-final clash with Crossmaglen in February. If the pain of last January’s Munster club final defeat to Nemo was a prod yesterday, the manner of their loss to the Armagh men in the 2007 All-Ireland final will doubtless stoke New Year preparations.

Yesterday’s Munster final success, the club’s fourth, was a Crokes patent in its execution. 1-4 to 0-2 down after 20 minutes, their peerless ability to wriggle out of difficulty was again their salvation. Within three minutes, they had created two goals against the run of the opening quarter. How do they keep doing that? Lock-pickers. Back in 1992, when this glorious run of success began, they had intelligent goal-getting forwards like Pat O’Shea, Connie Murphy and Seanie O’Shea. Afterwards came Roland Neher and company. There is a club culture that begins with the under age structure Pat O’Shea has put in place.

UCC coach Paul O’Keeffe has a simpler explanation: when you’ve forwards like Colm Cooper, Kieran O’Leary, Brian Looney and Dáithí Casey, there’s always problems. The Killarney quartet mined 3-12 of the total yesterday. It was O’Leary’s 21st minute strike that cancelled UCC’s opening goal, confidently taken by Kenmare’s Stephen O’Brien. College still had a 1-4 to 1-2 edge before O’Leary, who had an outstanding game, ghosted inside the cover and palmed down a Cooper free to Dáithí Casey to goal again.

The Crokes template is to punish vulnerable opposition but it took a while. College have built a defiance from this wonderful year one wouldn’t normally associate with university teams and Brian Coughlan and Mike Griffin both pointed to level again approaching half-time (2-3 to 1-6). UCC reworked their full back line early and often to try and counter the Casey-O’Leary-Cooper axis. Martin Hickey, Matthew Galvin and Sean Kiely all had spells trying to quell Kieran O’Leary without apparent success. Gooch was yet to erupt as the sides went to the dressing rooms with Crokes 2-4 to 1-6 in front after a Casey free.

The 2,961 paying patrons didn’t have long to wait for the Cooper cameo – the first, second and third minutes of the second half, in fact, each recorded with a Gooch point. The last of the three was created by Johnny Buckley, who was now hobbling around the edge of the square after rolling an ankle. He is due to go for a scan today to determine whether he can join his inter-county colleagues on a short sojourn to New York this week. That could have been an issue but Ambrose O’Donovan was always watching the back door, while Dáithí Casey slotted in as his creative partner.

College centre-back Niall Daly and Crokes’ Duracell wing forward Brian Looney swapped points before Crokes took a tighter grip. Eoin Brosnan surged forward to fist a point but there was still a dying sting from a wearying College outfit as Sean Kiely and Paul Geaney landed points to make it 2-9 to 1-9. Only their All-Ireland commitments into February will prevent Looney and Dáithí Casey being called into Jack O’Connor’s National League squad. The Kingdom coach may also fret over Cooper and Kieran O’Leary, who’ve been at it without a break since the beginning of the year.

“We’ll taper it down now while the (Kerry) lads are in New York,” Crokes coach Harry O’Neill said, “but I’m sure there will be plenty of fellas ready to put their hand up for the Glenflesk game. After Christmas, we’ll begin to think about Crossmaglen.” Football neutrals already are. Crokes have played their last six county and provincial club championship games in Killarney but it is less the venue and more the physical strength of the Ulster champions that will exercise minds on Lewis Road over the holiday period.

This latest group of Crokes crackers are still a year or two from their peak, not just in football terms but from a physical point of view. The full back line yesterday looked uncomfortable in the opening quarter and four of the six backs are what we’d euphemistically call tidy. Their celebrated attack will always give Crokes a chance, however. In the final ten minutes they added on the numbers at will and six minutes from the end, Andrew Kenneally slid Casey through to apply the killer finish. 3-13 to 1-10. It must have been hard for one of their own to finish them off but in a final and laudable show of defiance, Paul Geaney bundled home a late goal for UCC. December day, July joy.

Dating back to 1986, the representatives of Cork and Kerry have met in the Munster Club Senior Football Final on just 3 occasions out of a total of 25 deciders during that time (12%)

2010 – Nemo Rangers (Cork) 1-15 Dr. Crokes (Kerry) 1-13

2000 – Nemo Rangers (Cork) 0-11 Glenflesk (Kerry) 0-7

1996 – Laune Rangers (Kerry) defeated Clonakilty (Cork)

By contrast, in the 21 Munster Club Senior Football Finals played from 1965 through to 1985, Kerry and Cork’s representatives met on 9 occasions (43%).

In the last 5 Munster Club Senior Football Finals, the winning team has won by a margin of 3 points or less on each occasion.

2010 – Nemo Rangers (Cork) 1-15 Dr. Crokes (Kerry) 1-13

2009 – Kilmurry-Ibrickane (Clare) 0-7 Kerins O’Rahillys (Kerry) 0-6

2008 – Dromcollogher-Broadford (Limerick) 0-7 Nemo Rangers (Cork) 0-6

2007 – Nemo Rangers (Cork) 1-10 Ballinacourty (Waterford) 1-7

2006 – Dr. Crokes (Kerry) 2-5 Nire (Waterford) 0-8

Only 6 goals have been scored in the last 300 minutes of Munster Club Senior Football Final action. Based on the average of a goal every 50minutes, perhaps the first goal in Fitzgerald Stadium will arrive in the 50th minute and if so, would surely be a match winner?

Since 2000, Cork hold the best record in the Munster Club Championship with 20 victories and 6 Munster Club titles during that period.

Kerry’s record in the Munster Club Senior Football Championship sees them with 13 titles, just under half the total of Cork clubs (27). Since 2000, Kerry have captured 2 Munster club titles and have not captured the All-Ireland Club Senior Football title since Laune Rangers victory in 1995 / 1996. During Kerry’s Golden Years at Inter-County level, Kerry won just 3 of the 12 Munster Club Senior Football titles on offer (Austin Stacks – 1976 & Castleisland Desmonds 1984 and 1985).

Since St. Patrick’s Day 1996, only 1 of the last 15 Munster Club Senior Football champions (7%) have won the All-Ireland Club Senior Football title – Nemo Rangers in the 2002/2003 season. Prior to 1996, Munster Clubs captured 15 All-Ireland’s at this grade, an average of 60% dating back to 1971.

From 1964 to 1997, no club outside of Kerry or Cork won the Munster Club Senior Football title (Thomond College representing Limerick won the 1977 title). Since 1998, Kilmurry/Ibrickane (2), Doonbeg and Dromcollogher-Broadford have been successful in winning the Munster Club Senior Football titles.

Clare won 3 Munster Club Senior Football titles since 2004 and have won 13 of the 25 matches played in the Munster Club Championship since 2000.

Limerick’s Dromcollogher-Broadford defeated Nemo Rangers and Kilmurry/Ibrickane to win the 2008 Munster Club Senior Football title. Those 2 victories are the only wins for the Limerick Senior Football champions in this competition dating back to 2003, a period of 9 matches which include 8 defeats and 1 drawn game, includling Monaleen’s defeat to UCC this season.

In the Club Senior Football All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork top the charts with 11 titles followed by Kerry with 5. Limerick have 1 All-Ireland Club Football title courtesy of Thomond College in 1977/1978.

Munster Club Senior FOOTBALL Cup

Club Championship Senior Football Cup – Michael O’Connor Cup

Presented by Munster Council in 1991 to commemorate late Chairman & Treasurer.

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A BITTERLY cold afternoon in Semple Stadium yesterday, biting wind and heavy showers; a disappointing afternoon also for the players and supporters of gallant Crusheen. And yet it was a game to stir the blood and warm the heart of even the most cynical as Na Piarsaigh continue their Cinderella season — adding a first Munster Club SHC title to the ground-breaking Limerick crown won just a few weeks ago. In front of another disappointing attendance (2,486, down 500 from last week), from the opening minutes it was obvious this was going to be a very different contest to the sporting but almost bloodless affair that was the drawn match. As was the case on Sunday last, both sets of players were totally committed, individually and as a group gave it everything with neither time nor space easily found. But there was also some serious early belting in this one, and it was all from one side, three Na Piarsaigh players (Brian Hartnett, David Breen and Kevin Downes) yellow carded by referee Cathal McAllister within the opening three minutes for dangerous pulls.

It can’t be said this set the tone for the game — from there on it was again a very sporting encounter — but it did say something about which side was the more energised. It took a while for all that energy to emerge but when it did — well, let’s save that for later. Despite all that early Na Piarsaigh bluster, Crusheen set the pace but three bad wides was all they had to show for their efforts. In contrast, with the first look at the posts Kevin Downes, the Na Piarsaigh full-forward, blasted a fine point over from the wide left for the early lead. Late call-up Tony Meaney then replied for Crusheen, but points from Downes again and wing-forward Kevin Ryan had Na Piarsaigh 0-3 to 0-1ahead in the 13th minute. With the wind not giving either side a major advantage Crusheen took charge, and a strong second-quarter (as was the case last week) had them a point in front at the break, 0-5 to 0-4 — young centre-forward Jamie Fitzgibbon with a fine brace.

Na Piarsaigh began the second half looking very strong and tied the game through the giant David Breen, but then missed three opportunities to surge ahead. Crusheen then came fighting back, two more points from Fitzgibbon (had a great tussle with Na Piarsaigh centre-back James O’Brien, who shaded the contest and took man of the match honours) along with two from free-taker Pat Vaughan, against one from Shane Dowling, putting the Claremen three clear (0-9 to 0-6) with only 14 minutes left. The final quarter, however, was all Na Piarsaigh. Where Dowling, scoring hero of last week’s draw, had been quiet up to then, suddenly he began to make his presence felt. Just as significantly, Downes and David Breen also became even more prominent, as did corner forward Kevin Kennedy. Most significantly of all, substitute Adrian Breen, dropped after a poor performance last week, exploded into the game.

Out of nowhere the scores started to flow, and the current was all one-way. 1-6 Na Piarsaigh notched in the final quarter, no reply from Crusheen; 1-3 by Adrian Breen, the goal coming in the 58th minute after fine setup work by Dowling and Downes, two more from Dowling himself, a long-ranger from David Breen, and what had been a tight, tense game was blown open. Rough justice on Crusheen, eventually, and they had legitimate claims for a penalty in the 18th minute ignored, but overall their lack of any kind of goal-scoring threat cost dearly. They were overrun eventually, but can still hold their heads high. On a dreary day, they played their part.

Sunday’s drawn final was the first time two clubs have required a replay in this competition since the 2001 Munster Club Senior Hurling Semi-Final between Ballygunner and Toomevara. Since then, 46 matches have been played in this competition which produced a result on the day before the 2011 Final.

There have been just 4 draws in the final of the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship since the competition began in 1964 (8%)

In the Club Senior Hurling All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork clubs have won 9 titles followed by Tipperary with 3 and Clare with 2. Galway lead the roll of honour with 11 club titles followed by Kilkenny clubs with 10.

Munster Club Senior HURLING Cup

Club Championship Senior Hurling Cup – O’Neill Cup

Presented by Sarsfields Club, Cork, in 1972 to commemorate Billy O’Neill who founded their club in 1903.

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